LATE BRITISH PLAYWRIGHT Sarah Kane who was suffering from depression, wrote her last play, 4.48 Psychosis, before taking her life. Over the years, the play has been adapted by numerous theatrical troupes owing to its poetic intensity, form and the critical subject of mental health. Aiming to eliminate the stigma around the subject, Bangalore Little Theatre and Kahe Vidushak Foundation are all set to premiere another variation of the script this weekend.
Srinivas Beesetty, the director of the play, gives us an insight into the production. “This collaborative project comes at a time when mental health is being talked about. We take up this play not only because it talks about clinical depression but delves deeper into the life of the playwright and her deteriorating
mental health,” the theatre practitioner exclaims.
Keeping the plot nonlinear as Sarah intended it to be, the director has taken the liberty of deciphering multiple elements as per his understanding. The choreopoem possesses no specific characters but rather a multitude of voices that represent the three phases Kane goes through. “Those three phases are when she realises that she is being treated as abnormal. She sees a therapist so that she can rejoin society as a normal person but when the doctor fails to understand her, she is put on medication and it makes her want to kill herself in multiple ways,” he reveals.
Incorporating various unique elements such as shadow projections, dance movements depicting the chaos of the writer’s mind and a minimalistic set that physically resembles her brain, Srinivas has tried to simplify the complex narrative. Elaborating on the set and costumes, the theatre artiste adds, “we have used monochrome costumes and real, suggestive and abstract forms of makeup and props that portray the thoughts of a person carrying depression on a daily basis.”
Besides the visual aspects, the production is also enhanced with an original background score created exclusively for this production. “The audience will witness morse code music, live percussionists and a few tunes inspired by the operatic adaptation of this play,” he shares before signing off.
Rs 300 onwards.November 13, 4.30 & 7.30 pm. At Alliance Francaise de Bengaluru, Vasanth Nagar.
srushti@newindianexpress.com
@Sru_Kulkarni